{"id":161996,"date":"2010-04-12T15:24:00","date_gmt":"2010-04-12T15:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.moldova.org\/2010\/04\/12\/defiant-kyrgyz-president-addresses-supporters-in-south-208060-eng\/"},"modified":"2010-04-12T15:24:00","modified_gmt":"2010-04-12T15:24:00","slug":"defiant-kyrgyz-president-addresses-supporters-in-south-208060-eng","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moldova.org\/en\/defiant-kyrgyz-president-addresses-supporters-in-south-208060-eng\/","title":{"rendered":"Defiant Kyrgyz President addresses supporters in South"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

A defiant President Kurmanbek Bakiev has addressed a rally in his hometown to drum up support against the self-proclaimed government that has taken power in the capital.<\/p>\n

Bakiev fled Bishkek to the south on April 7, when riot police and troops opened fire on antigovernment protesters. At least 81 people were reported killed in the violence.<\/p>\n

An interim government headed by opposition leader Roza Otunbaeva claimed power, saying Bakiev must resign and threatening to arrest him.<\/p>\n

Addressing a cheering crowd of up to 1,500 people in Teyit in the southern region of Jalal-Abad today, Bakiev again refused to step down, saying he is the country’s legitimate president.<\/p>\n

Bakiev accused his opponents of seizing power by force and blamed most of the trouble on “bandits” in Talas and Bishkek in the north.<\/p>\n

Bakiev denied responsibility for the killings in the capital and called for an international investigation. And he said any attempt to seize or kill him would result in “bloodshed."<\/p>\n

"Let them try to seize me. Let them try to destroy me. I think this will lead to a great deal of bloodshed, which no one will be able to justify," Bakiev said. "Those who are causing unrest in Bishkek now are trying to divide the country into the north and the south. That should not be allowed to happen."<\/p>\n

Bakiev also called for the United Nations to send a contingent of peacekeepers to the north of the country to help restore order.<\/p>\n

RFE\/RL correspondent Bruce Pannier, who attended the gathering, says Bakiev’s speech was followed by an open mike for his supporters to come and speak.<\/p>\n

"People came up and gave speeches and he was clearly very pleased at the speeches they were giving. He smiled, he laughed, he seemed very well-composed," Pannier said.<\/p>\n

"The numbers [in the crowd] might have been down a little bit because it was raining pretty much while the whole thing was going on, but he did seem to have at least some support. And he did also have [armed] guards around him, a security detachment around him."<\/p>\n

Bakiev wrapped up the rally by calling for a meeting tomorrow in the center of the regional capital, Jalal-Abad.<\/p>\n

He expressed the hope that the rally would be followed by protests in other southern cities in the coming days, including Osh and Batken.<\/p>\n

Jalal-Abad’s acting mayor told RFE\/RL that he had no plans to block the meeting, saying Kyrgyzstan was a democratic country and that if people wanted to gather and voice their opinion that was their right.<\/p>\n

RFE\/RL correspondent Pannier said there was no attempt to stop Bakiev and his supporters from getting to and leaving the meeting.<\/p>\n

‘Special Operation’<\/p>\n

Earlier in the day, a deputy leader of the new administration, Almaz Atambaev, said a "special operation" was being planned against Bakiev.<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters in Bishkek, Atambaev accused the president of "hiding behind a human shield" in his home region.<\/p>\n

He refused to give any further details about the operation.<\/p>\n

The interim authorities have also leveled serious — though unproven — accusations against Bakiev.<\/p>\n

In an interview with RFE\/RL correspondent James Kirchick on April 11, another senior figure in the new administration, Omurbek Tekebaev, accused Bakiev of trying to destabilize the situation.<\/p>\n

"He accused President Bakiev of hiring foreign mercenaries — ‘assassins’ he’s called them — coming from outside the country. He said there were allegations that he was giving them guns and money with which to liquidate members of the interim government. He said that it was information that came through the country’s security services," Kirchick said.<\/p>\n

Bakiev in his turn has called for the United Nations to send a contingent of peacekeepers to help restore order in the country.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek said today it had no plans "to shelter Mr Bakiev or help him leave Kyrgyzstan." It said any reports to the contrary were "completely inaccurate."<\/p>\n

The mission also said Ambassador Tatiana Gfoeller reaffirmed a U.S. commitment “to continue to provide humanitarian assistance and to support the democratic development of Kyrgyzstan” at a meeting with Otunbaeva.<\/p>\n

The talks came ahead of a visit to Kyrgyzstan by the Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake.<\/p>\n

The embassy also said the U.S. air base outside Bishkek had resumed “normal operations” after unrest caused the suspension of flights. It said “refueling operations continue as usual and the transit of troops has resumed” at Manas, a crucial supply base for the U.S.-led coalition’s military operations in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>A defiant President Kurmanbek Bakiev has addressed a rally in his hometown to drum up support against the self-proclaimed government that has taken power in the capital.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-161996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"content_social_share":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

A defiant President Kurmanbek Bakiev has addressed a rally in his hometown to drum up support against the self-proclaimed government that has taken power in the capital.<\/p>\n

Bakiev fled Bishkek to the south on April 7, when riot police and troops opened fire on antigovernment protesters. At least 81 people were reported killed in the violence.<\/p>\n

An interim government headed by opposition leader Roza Otunbaeva claimed power, saying Bakiev must resign and threatening to arrest him.<\/p>\n

Addressing a cheering crowd of up to 1,500 people in Teyit in the southern region of Jalal-Abad today, Bakiev again refused to step down, saying he is the country’s legitimate president.<\/p>\n

Bakiev accused his opponents of seizing power by force and blamed most of the trouble on “bandits” in Talas and Bishkek in the north.<\/p>\n

Bakiev denied responsibility for the killings in the capital and called for an international investigation. And he said any attempt to seize or kill him would result in “bloodshed."<\/p>\n

"Let them try to seize me. Let them try to destroy me. I think this will lead to a great deal of bloodshed, which no one will be able to justify," Bakiev said. "Those who are causing unrest in Bishkek now are trying to divide the country into the north and the south. That should not be allowed to happen."<\/p>\n

Bakiev also called for the United Nations to send a contingent of peacekeepers to the north of the country to help restore order.<\/p>\n

RFE\/RL correspondent Bruce Pannier, who attended the gathering, says Bakiev’s speech was followed by an open mike for his supporters to come and speak.<\/p>\n

"People came up and gave speeches and he was clearly very pleased at the speeches they were giving. He smiled, he laughed, he seemed very well-composed," Pannier said.<\/p>\n

"The numbers [in the crowd] might have been down a little bit because it was raining pretty much while the whole thing was going on, but he did seem to have at least some support. And he did also have [armed] guards around him, a security detachment around him."<\/p>\n

Bakiev wrapped up the rally by calling for a meeting tomorrow in the center of the regional capital, Jalal-Abad.<\/p>\n

He expressed the hope that the rally would be followed by protests in other southern cities in the coming days, including Osh and Batken.<\/p>\n

Jalal-Abad’s acting mayor told RFE\/RL that he had no plans to block the meeting, saying Kyrgyzstan was a democratic country and that if people wanted to gather and voice their opinion that was their right.<\/p>\n

RFE\/RL correspondent Pannier said there was no attempt to stop Bakiev and his supporters from getting to and leaving the meeting.<\/p>\n

‘Special Operation’<\/p>\n

Earlier in the day, a deputy leader of the new administration, Almaz Atambaev, said a "special operation" was being planned against Bakiev.<\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters in Bishkek, Atambaev accused the president of "hiding behind a human shield" in his home region.<\/p>\n

He refused to give any further details about the operation.<\/p>\n

The interim authorities have also leveled serious — though unproven — accusations against Bakiev.<\/p>\n

In an interview with RFE\/RL correspondent James Kirchick on April 11, another senior figure in the new administration, Omurbek Tekebaev, accused Bakiev of trying to destabilize the situation.<\/p>\n

"He accused President Bakiev of hiring foreign mercenaries — ‘assassins’ he’s called them — coming from outside the country. He said there were allegations that he was giving them guns and money with which to liquidate members of the interim government. He said that it was information that came through the country’s security services," Kirchick said.<\/p>\n

Bakiev in his turn has called for the United Nations to send a contingent of peacekeepers to help restore order in the country.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek said today it had no plans "to shelter Mr Bakiev or help him leave Kyrgyzstan." It said any reports to the contrary were "completely inaccurate."<\/p>\n

The mission also said Ambassador Tatiana Gfoeller reaffirmed a U.S. commitment “to continue to provide humanitarian assistance and to support the democratic development of Kyrgyzstan” at a meeting with Otunbaeva.<\/p>\n

The talks came ahead of a visit to Kyrgyzstan by the Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake.<\/p>\n

The embassy also said the U.S. air base outside Bishkek had resumed “normal operations” after unrest caused the suspension of flights. It said “refueling operations continue as usual and the transit of troops has resumed” at Manas, a crucial supply base for the U.S.-led coalition’s military operations in Afghanistan.<\/p>\n

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